Monthly Archives: May 2012

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I’m taking today to give a shout-out to Savvy Authors, an exceptional online community of writers, brimming with resources. I joined Savvy on February 2nd, pitched my novel, Weathering Rock, to Piper Denna of Lyrical Press on February 7th and had a contract by the end of the month. Granted, that might be an exception to the rule, but none of it would have happened without the opportunity given by Savvy.

Savvy, however, is more than an outlet toward publication. Yes, they have several pitch sessions a year (the next is June 22nd with Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks )but it’s also about learning, networking and having the support of other authors – – ranging from published and wildly successful to just starting out and never having submitted. There are forums, workshops, resources and events. It’s like falling into a moon-bounce (remember those?) of information and then soaring up on a giddy high.

Since joining Savvy, I’ve not only sold a book, but have learned how to build a WordPress blog, use social media effectively, put together a book trailer, write a synopsis, build a brand, and put together a query package, among other things. Premium membership is a mere $30.00 per year and most of the workshops I’ve mentioned have cost $15.00 each and span several weeks.

I’ve been involved in numerous writing groups, online and locally over the years, but can honestly say Savvy is worth every penny I’ve spent.

So . . . how Savvy are you? You might want to take this opportunity to find out through membership.

There is also a free membership package with limited benefits. Why wait? A savvy writer’s life is just around the corner!

Writing a book is exciting enough. Getting to do a visual interpetation of it is, well . . . a giddy culimination of a lot of work. A few days back I mentioned I was working on a video trailer for Weathering Rock. I know a lot of you have been following my snippets, especially my Six Sunday shares in which I’ve posted snippets of the book. I’ve made some noise about the characters and what it’s about, but haven’t tried to present it as a whole.

Until now.

I loved putting this together. Writing the script, finding the images to match, and searching out just the right music. Here’s a glimpse of Weathering Rock as a whole. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy almost Memorial Day! I hope everyone is having a nice long relaxing weekend, but also pausing to remember those who have fought for our country, especially those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.

Fitting with the day, the hero of my novel Weathering Rock, is an ex-military man, although he’s time travelled from 1863 shortly after the battle of Gettysburg, to the present day. Caleb DeCardian has made a less than favorable impression on Arianna Hart, the heroine of the story and needs to make amends. Last Sunday they ran into each other at the library and he asked for the chance to make up for his blunders.

I’m picking up there this Sunday with Caleb speaking first, followed by Arianna. I’ve had to snip a bit due to the limitation of six sentences. Incidentally, Weathering Rock is the name of the property (an old pre-Civil War home) where Caleb lives:

~ooOOoo~

“I’d like to invite you to dinner. At Weathering Rock.”

“Sorry, I’m busy.” Snapping the book shut, she returned it to the shelf. Before she could retreat, he caught her arm.

“I haven’t told you what night.”

~ooOOoo~

Eesh! Freakishly short, but that’s all SSS will allow. I hope you’re return next week to see where things are headed. In the meantime, check out the other fantastic reads being offered by participating Six Sentence Sunday auhors and enjoy your holiday!
I appreciate your comments!

I wish I knew. I think about him sometimes and wonder what he was like. I know he lived in 1823 but I have no idea how old he was that year. How do I know John? He left a message for me, which I discovered 188 years later.

If you didn’t know, my day job is real estate marketing. That means I get to visit a variety of homes. Over the years, I’ve toured an equine surgery center, several B&B’s, multiple million dollar+ homes and a string of historic properties among others. Old homes are my favorite. They resonate with the echoes of yesteryear and the lifeblood of faded memories. “Weathering Rock,” the title of my time-travel/paranormal romance coming in October, refers to a fictitious home built in 1832 that is central to the story.

But let me jump back to John Lehman. Last year, I had the pleasure of visiting a property built in 1783. Think about that. It was the year the American Revolution ended. Am I the only one who finds that mind-boggling? To think of the people who walked through the halls of that home…the joys and concerns they must have had as our newly forged nation took its first tenative steps.

I fell in love with the property. Chestnut plank floors, massive moldings, a center hall with turned staircase, multiple fireplaces and four bedrooms each with its own “keeping cupboard.” That was where Mr. Lehman left his mark–in the rear bedroom on the inside of a cupboard door. He burned his name into the wood, along with the date “John Lehman, 1823.” Surely, he couldn’t have known I’d stumble upon it 188 years later, but it gave me chills.

Was he a young man, just starting out with a wife and family, anxious to embrace life in a nation that had proved iself 40 years after winning a revolution? Or was he older, reaching the sunset of his life, wanting to leave his mark before he passed from this world?

He made sure he did. I think about him. And I’m sure every homeowner who has ever lived in that historic 18th century property has thought about him too. It was his home and he made sure we knew it. Some of that property went into Weathering Rock when I created it, along with bits and pieces of most of the historical estates I’ve toured. They all left a mark on me in one way or another, each teeming with the phantoms of forgotten years.

Do old homes inspire you? Are there any you’ve toured, lived in, or visited that stand out in your mind? I’d love to know about them! Aside from a professional interest, I have a passion for old properties.

I’m a geeky girl about a lot of things, and weather is one of them. We’re a month away from summer which is prime thunderstorm season. I love the change in the atmosphere right before a storm when the sky grows black, the wind blows through like an angry zephyr, and the leaves bend belly-up to the heavens.

A few weeks ago I was visiting my mother when she mentioned how much electrical storms frighten her. Then she casually told me when I was a child, I used to sit on the front porch with my father to watch as storms rolled in.

I did?

Oh yes, she assured me. The rest of the family would be tucked safely inside the house, but my father would take me outside until the weather grew too severe to linger. I’d forgotten how much he loved that, and was saddened to realize it had slipped from my memory. It all came tumbling back in a rush like someone flipping a light switch. The sprawling front porch, sitting side by side, listening to the thunder, watching the lightning. How bizarre this should be a father/daughter bonding element, but he loved storms and taught me to appreciate them (with a healthy dose of respect for the danger).

Today, weather patterns have grown erratic, often becoming violent. Tornados were a rare occurrence in my area when I was a kid. Now they spin closer each summer. I’ve even been caught on the fringe of one and don’t think I will ever forget the way the sky looked at that moment, or the unnerving blackness that followed. I know many of you have experienced tornadoes and other weather events first hand.

Do changes in the weather influence the way you write or feel? I often find myself moved to bursts of creativity during those transition periods.

Well, not really. Actually, I’m forging ahead by creating a trailer for Weathering Rock, my time-travel/paranormal romance scheduled to be released in October.

I’m currently enrolled in a class at Savvy Authors on how to put one together and have already taken a few exciting steps, including writing the script. The instructor had us break the plot of the book into approximately 20 short phrases. Turned out to be a lot of fun and really made me concentrate on the elements of my story.

So, do I need a trailer? Not sure, but I like the idea of adding a visual element. It’s also a challenge to sleuth out images that fit the story and, most especially, my hero and heroine. I know what they look like, and feel I’ve described them in a way that will allow readers to see them clearly. But finding images of people who match those pictures in my head? Gulp! Can’t say I don’t like a challenge.

Today’s question:
If you’re a writer, have you developed a trailer for any of your books or are you considering developing one? If you’re a reader, do you like viewing book trailers? They certainly seem to be sprouting up all over the place!